1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates an engine for remote-control toy car and more specifically, to an engine starting structure for remote-control toy car, which enables the user to start the engine with a small electric engine starter easily and which automatically forces the starting rod of the small electric engine starter out of the engine after start of the engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
The engines used in regular engine-operated remote-control toy cars are developed through several generation improvements. The engine for remote-control toy car of the first generation is to be started with a drag rope. This design is difficult to start, and the drag rope may break easily. FIGS. 1 and 2 show an engine for remote-control toy car of the first generation. According to this design, the engine 1 comprises a cylinder block 10, a bearing holder 11, a coupling device 12, an one-way bearing 13, and a cover 14. The bearing holder 11 is mounted inside the cylinder block 10 and connected to the engine's output shaft 102. The one-way bearing 13 is mounted in the bearing holder 11. The coupling device 12 is coupled to the one-way bearing 13. The cover 14 is covered on the cylinder block 10. The cover 14 has a pull handle 141, which is connected to a winding (not shown) inside the cover 14 through a rope (not shown). This design of engine is still not satisfactory in function. One drawback of this design of engine is its complicated structure. Another drawback of this design of engine is that the rope tends to break during operation. Still another drawback of this design of engine is that the one-way bearing wears quickly with use.
In order to eliminate the aforesaid drawbacks, an engine of second generation was developed. This design is based on the engine design of the aforesaid first generation, having a starter barrel coupled to the one-way bearing for rotating the output shaft of the engine with a drag rope or an electric engine starter as desired. This second generation engine design has the same drawbacks of the aforesaid first generation engine design. Further, an electric engine starter for starting this second generation engine design is quite heavy.
A third generation engine design uses an electric engine starter to start the engine and eliminates the use of a drag rope. According to this third generation engine design an one-way bearing, a partition board and a driven gear are mounted in proper order on a center rod, which extends out of the cylinder block of the engine. The driven gear is meshed with a drive gear at a side cover that is covered on the cylinder block of the engine. The drive gear is affixed to a starter barrel, which is rotatably mounted in a through hole of the side cover and has two longitudinal crevices. An electric engine starter is used and coupled to the longitudinal crevices of the starter barrel, and controlled to rotate the center rod and to further start the engine.
A fourth generation engine design is based on the aforesaid third generation engine design with the exception that the center rod has a flat end; the one-way bearing has an inner diameter fitting the contour of the flat end of the center rod so that the one-way bearing can directly be fastened to the flat end of the center rod.
A fifth generation engine design has a starter block mounted inside the cylinder block of the engine and coupled to the output shaft of the engine, and a side cover covering the cylinder block. The starter block has a coupling tube suspending in the center through hole of the side cove for receiving the starting rod of an electric engine starter to start the engine.
The aforesaid third and fourth generation engine designs are complicated, resulting in a high manufacturing cost. The aforesaid fifth generation engine design is relatively simpler. However, this fifth generation engine design and the aforesaid third and fourth generation engine design have a common problem: after start of the engine, the starting rod of the electric engine starter will be rotated with the starter barrel for a certain length of time before disconnection from the engine. During this stage, the starting rod of the electric engine starter may affect smooth rotation of the engine.